


LOW SUGAR

by WolfaMoon



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Diabetes, Diabetic Steve Harrington, Family, Good Parent Jim "Chief" Hopper, Hiding Medical Issues, Hurt Steve Harrington, Medical, Medical Conditions, Parental Jim "Chief" Hopper, Past Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Protective Jim "Chief" Hopper, Steve Harrington Has Bad Parents, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, Stranger Things 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25169617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfaMoon/pseuds/WolfaMoon
Summary: Season 2. Steve knows he is crashing. After being beat up and the adrenaline rush he could feel the shakes starting.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington & Jim "Chief" Hopper, Steve Harrington & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Steve Harrington & Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington & The Party
Comments: 5
Kudos: 175





	LOW SUGAR

LOW SUGAR  
By: Wolfa Moon  
Summary: Season 2. Steve knows he is crashing. After being beat up and the adrenaline rush he could feel the shakes starting.  
Disclaimer: Nope.

LOW SUGAR

Steve knows he is crashing. After being beat up and the adrenaline rush he could feel the shakes starting. The kids are safe back at the Byers home and everyone is talking. They had taken him bumping into things as a result of the beat down. No, he knew. His vision is doubled and there are more people than he is use to around him. It’s getting bad and his car is not here with his shot.   
Gathering he forgot it with the impromptu hijacking of hunting inter dimensional demons. And his car is still where he left it beside the train tracks. He needs his insulin shot.   
The front door opens to have Jonathan running in with Will in his arms to the kid’s bedroom. The others tried to follow but Nancy And Steve stopped them. A slurred, no, escape his lips. This has Nancy step in front of him. He knows there is only one of her but there are 3 maybe four. His head hurts.  
“Steve, Steve?” There are hands on his face. All he can do is blink at her. She turns to the kids. “What happened?” They don’t answer immediately.  
“Billy came,” Max informed. “They fought but Billy fought dirty and knocked him unconscious.”  
“So when did he wake up?” Nancy keeps a hold on Steve. She knew of his condition. Really the only one in Hawkins who knew. Steve’s personal doctors are in the next town over. Even if he wore a discreet medical bracelet. “Guys!”  
“He woke up in the car. Little out of it.”  
“Car?”  
“We drove to the tunnels, well Max did.” Mike informed. Nancy looks to Max in shock. The girl simple shrugs.  
“Was he lucid.”  
“For a while. He babysat us well.” Mike informed.  
“He was awesome.” Dustin informs. Nancy nods before turning back to Steve.  
“Steve,” he hums. “Steve,” his eyes try and focus on her. Her hands can feel him shivering. “Where is your shot?”  
“Carr. Hi Nancy.”  
“Hey, where is your car?”  
“Um….” He tilts his head back.  
“At the crossroads where the tracks meet.” Dustin informs. Nancy takes this information in. “What is going on?”  
“He needs his insulin shot.”  
“Insulin?” Mike asks. This has Max moving into the kitchen looking. Opening the fridge has the demo dog collapse out. She shrieks.  
“What the hell?”  
“Why did you open the door?” Dustin comes in seeing his scientific proof of the dimension demons.  
“He needs soda.” Spying cans on the Byers counter she grabs it moving back to Steve and Nancy. Nancy smiles at her.  
“Thank you.”   
“I neeeeed … sit,” Steve slurs. Nancy moves him to a chair. Max cracks the can open and hands it over.   
“Steve you need to drink.”  
“Tires.” Nancy nods before lifting the can to Steve’s lips. He drinks sluggishly and some slips out. A jerky hands moves to push the can away. “Tires.” Nancy can only nod.   
“I know, but I need you to drink this.” Nancy tries the can but he moves away. Max moves in with a towel to wipe some of the sweat off Steve’s face.  
“He’s getting bad.” Max informs.  
“How do you know?”  
“One of my friends in California is diabetic.” Nancy nods. “He needs his shot.”  
“Carr,” Steve slurs again trying to lean over and rest his head.  
“No, Steve you need to stay awake.” His head moves over and he is out. Steve begins to shiver more visibly.  
At that moment Hopper and El enter. El is walking slowly much to the hovering Hopper’s worry. El looks to the room down the hallway than to Nancy. Hopper does a once over the room before moving to Nancy.  
“Will?” he asks.  
“They went to put him in bed. Do you have any insulin in your emergency kit?”  
“I don’t know. But I’ll get it.” Nancy looks to Max.  
“Watch him.” Nancy moves with Hopper out of the house. Max takes Nancy spot in front of Steve to wipe the sweat.  
“Steve,” he groans. “STEVE!” he shivers. Max is getting worried.   
“What wrong?” El asks. Mike has come over to hug her but she moves to Max and Steve. Dustin had gone to get another blanket and place it over the demodog before hovering in the background of the Steve situation.  
“He’s diabetic,” Dustin says.   
“It means …” Mike doesn’t know how to inform El of this situation. He looks to Max and El follows his gaze.   
“It’s means his blood sugar is low and is in threat of killing him.”  
“Help?” El asks.  
“If we get a insulin shot, yeah.” Max informs. Nancy comes storming into the room to try and haul Steve up. “NO shot?”  
“No, we gotta go.” Lifting Steve’s arm over her shoulder. Hopper moves in between Steve and Nancy and picks the teen up. Steve moves like a broken puppet in Hopper’s arms. Max moves to get the door. Looking over to El,  
“Stay here.” Hop commands.  
“Help?” El asks.  
“We’re going to get him some help.” Hopper leaves followed by Nancy who runs to the truck.

~ LS ~

Nancy holds Steve close to her.  
“Have you ever dealt with this before?” Hopper asks as he speeds toward the hospital.  
“No, he’s very good at taking care of it. I only found out by accident.”  
“Accident?”  
“He drove me home after a practice and I saw and confronted him about drugs. He reluctantly told me and said to keep it quiet.”  
“Why?”  
“I don’t know.” Steve shivers in her arms.  
“How about his parents?”  
“Never met them. Steve?”  
“Hmm.” Steve moans.  
“Where are your parents?” Steve looks glassy eyed at her.  
“Dead.” He giggles and closes his eyes.  
“Dead?” Hopper looks to Nancy who shrugs.

~ LS ~

Carrying Steve into the ER, Hopper is met by a few of the staff.  
“What have we got?”  
“Diabetic forgot to take his shot.”  
“Over here. We’ll get him on a glucose drip. And your relationship to him?” Hopper looks to the nurse.   
“Dad.” Because is Steve said was true than he had no one and who would be there for the kid. The nurse nods and looks to Nancy.  
“Friend.”  
“Okay, do you want to call your wife?” Hopper stops looking like a deer caught in the headlights.   
“We’re divorced.”  
“Oh, I see. Okay. He should be fine in a about an hour. If not we will take it from there.” Hopper nods as the nurse leaves the room. Getting on the phone he calls Joyce telling her of the hour wait to see if the glucose takes affect.  
A doctor comes in while he is on the phone and begins to check Steve over.  
“Did you know your son has a concussion?”  
“No,” Hop answers hanging up the phone.   
“Well how did he get beat up?”  
“He was defending some kids from a bully and guess that is why he forgot to take his shot or eat.”  
“Yeah, well we’re going to clean him up and hopefully return your son to your care tonight.”  
“Thank you, doc.”  
Hopper sits watching as the nurses move and clean Steve up. They take special care and Hop can feel his leg bouncing. Not having many good experiences in them. Especially after his daughter’s death. 

~ LS ~

Hopper must have dozed because he woke to Steve thrashing in the bed. He is groaning and twisting form side to side.  
“STEVE,” he calls. The kid groans and twists. Laying his hands finally upon him the eyes open wide and stare at him. “Easy kid. It’s just me.”  
“Ho… Hop.” Steve stares at him. He looks around franticly. “The kids.”  
“They’re fine. Everything, Ev-er-y-thing,” Putting emphasis on each syllable so he understands what that includes, “is fine.   
“Everything is fine.” Steve repeats settling down. “Why are you here?” Hopper looks taken aback at this.  
“Looking after you.”  
“El okay?”  
“Yeah she’s better than you.”  
“Should keep a shot on me.”  
“I think all the kids are going to be having one on them after this.”  
“Why?” Hopper huffs.  
“Kid you just became adopted into the party.”  
“To bad I didn’t have that last year.”  
“Last year?”  
“Nancy, Jonathan, fought the taller demo dog things. No one helped than.”  
“Well I’m here now.”  
“Only because I.. Forgot … shot.”  
“Yeah, um, kid, what you said about your parents…”  
“What did I say?”  
“That they were dead.” Steve laughs at this. Closing his eyes for a little bit. This is really the longest conversation he has had with an adult outside of school. Taking a deep breath he centers himself. “Is it true?”  
“And if it is?”   
“Who takes care of you?”  
“Me.”  
“How do you get your insulin?”  
“Why are you suddenly taking an interest?”  
“Because I’m here kid.”  
“You are only here because I was there for the kids and I know about the upside down and dimension demons.”  
“That is true too. But kid, I gotta know.”  
“You’re the first person to question me about my parents since I was 12.”  
“So they are dead?”  
“My mom is. My dad couldn’t give two flakes about me. So he is basically, dead.”  
“Uh huh.”  
“When can I get out of here?”  
“When you drip is done.”  
“Damn going to have to sneak out.”  
“Why?”  
“I just told you.”  
“I told them I was your dad.”  
“Good, you can sign me out.” Steve makes a move to get up but the world tilts.  
“Don’t you think you should wait?” Steve looks to the bag. It’s almost done.  
“I’m pretty good. And you need to get back to El.”  
“She’s safe with Joyce.”  
“Well sign me out and you can give Joyce a break from everything.”  
“Okay.”  
“Okay.” Hopper looks Steve over. “Don’t go anywhere.”  
“Still hooked up.”

~ LS ~

Hopper came back to the room with Nancy helping Steve out.  
“I got it.” He barks.  
“Why won’t you let me help you?”  
“Because we’re bullshit. I haven’t forgotten that. I can take care of myself.”  
“Stop being so stubborn.”  
“I’m fine.”  
“God.”  
“Which one?” Steve voices as he slips on his shirt.  
“What’s gotten into you?”  
“I’m just stressed and tired Nancy. I had a diabetic shock. So stop pushing.”  
“Sorry, you’re right. It’s just.”  
“I don’t need fixing.”  
“Well you need someone to look after you.”  
“No I don’t.” Steve says bringing his leg up to tie his shoes.  
“Steve?”  
“I got him, Wheeler.” She turns to face the chief. “Why don’t you call Joyce and give them a heads up that we are on our way.” Nancy looks between the two before heading to the nurse’s station. Hopper comes over and begins to ties Steve’s shoes.   
“I can do it.”  
“I know. Let me help.” Steve sits back on the bed letting Hopper tie his shoes.  
“This is humiliating.”  
“Kid, it’s okay to ask for help.”  
“Never helped before.” Hopper looks up at Steve who is staring up at the ceiling take deep breaths.  
“Well I’m here now.”  
“Ha.” Steve lowers his head. “Can we go now?”  
“Sure kid.” Steve gets up a little shaky so Hopper holds him tight. 

~ LS ~

Steve in leaning on Nancy asleep as they make their way back to Joyce’s.   
“So you two are together?” Hopper asks.  
“We were.” Nancy answers looking down at Steve.   
“Did you know bout his parents?”  
“No, it never came up. His friends always joked how his mom has to go with his dad so he remains faithful.”  
“So you never met them?”  
“No, no one I know has either.” Terrific, Hopper thinks. A teenage kid who has basically raised himself. Without anyone being the wiser. Monsters, magic teens, and lonely teens; welcome to Hawkins. Hopper couldn’t believe all the stuff that is happening in this tiny town. As people say, it’s always the quiet ones. Who knew this little hamlet had so many ghosts roaming around. “What are you going to do about that?”  
“What makes you think I will?”  
“You filled out his paperwork as Steve Hopper.”  
“And how do you know that?”  
“Looked at the chart.”  
“Well he needed help and…”  
“You’re a good man chief.”  
“Thanks,” he says gruffly as Nancy smile all knowingly at him.

~ LS ~

Arriving at Joyce’s, Hopper has to lift Steve off Nancy so she can get out.  
“Can you tell El to come to the truck?”  
“You aren’t coming in.” Nancy asks.   
“If anyone from Hawkins lab is around she is still wanted by them.”  
“So you are going to do what than?”  
“I’m taking both of my kids to a safe place.” Nancy gives him a look before heading inside the house.   
The door to the house is closed for a minute before an entourage is heading to his truck.   
“I don’t need this right now.”   
Eleven opens the door to stare in at Steve who is leaning against Hopper now.  
“Why are we leaving?” El asks.  
“She needs to stay here,” Mike fights holding her hand.  
“She needs to come with me so she can remain safe.”  
“It is safe now,” Mike counters.  
“No it’s not. There are Hawkins lab guys everywhere. They were even some at the hospital. So if they get wind of her being around…”  
“They’ll take her back,” Lucas adds to acknowledge El’s fate.  
“What about Steve?” Dustin asks.  
“He’s coming to my place.”  
“Wait.” Dustin runs off inside. Hopper sighs thinking the kid is getting his things so he can come too. As the kid runs back with a fanny pack in his hands. Hopper is about to protest before El takes the bag. She enters the truck.  
“What is that?” Hopper asks  
“His ones,” she voices.  
“It’s his insulin.” Dustin adds.  
“How?”  
“Jonathan drove us to Steve’s car.” Max adds.  
“Okay,” El closes the door. She turns to Steve and lifts the hair off his face.  
“He’s sick.”  
“He’s recovering.” El pulls Steve toward her. Mike opens his mouth but he stops as she just hums some weird lullaby. It’s not want of Steve it is of care and Mike stops.   
“Take care of yourself. See you soon El.” Mike adds stepping back very adult leading the group back toward the house.

~ LS ~

Once back at the cabin El helps Hopper get Steve laid out on the couch.  
“Will he be okay?” El asks.  
“Yeah we just need to keep an eye on him and his injections.”  
“Is he brother?”  
“Yes.” El smiles at this placing a blanket over sleep. Kissing his forehead.  
“Good night brother.” She moves to her room and lies down for the night. Hopper can just sigh. It’s been a long few days.   
“Did she call me brother?” Steve groans.  
“Yeah kid, get use to it.”  
“Ok,” Steve rolls over to bury himself in the couch. Hopper huffs before going to his bedroom. Grabbing his alarm clock to set a timer to go off when Steve is due for his next injection. His life hasn’t been the same for 2 years. All semblance of who he was is mostly gone. Sure he wears a mask at work and sometimes gets lost in it. Now though, now he has two extra mouths to feed. Two people who are going to rely on him. His world just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

~ LS ~ The End


End file.
